Too Small for a Bag, Too Good to Throw Away - Upcycled Sailcloth Pouches
Behind the Seams – A few thoughts from my workshop by the sea.
There's a particular problem with working with reclaimed sailcloth.
I find it almost impossible to throw anything away.
Not because every little piece is useful. Some genuinely aren't. But every now and then, I'll pick up a leftover piece of sail, turn it around a few times and think, “Surely I can make something out of that?”
And that's usually where the trouble starts. 😂
When a bag becomes something smaller
Making larger sailcloth bags inevitably leaves me with smaller pieces of material.
Some have original stitching running across them. Others have part of a number, a coloured marking or simply an interesting shape that doesn't quite fit into whatever I'm making next.
They're too small for a tote bag, not quite right for a shoulder bag, and sometimes just too interesting to disappear into the scrap pile.
So I put them aside.
And then I put a few more aside.
Before long, I have a collection of sailcloth pieces waiting patiently for their next adventure.
Enter the colourful spinnaker!
Recently, I was lucky enough to get my hands on some lovely colourful spinnaker sail in blue, pink, yellow, purple and grey.
If you've ever worked with white sailcloth for most of the day, you'll understand just how exciting a pile of colourful fabric can be. I may have got a little carried away. 😂
But it gave me an idea.
What if those smaller pieces of reclaimed white sailcloth became practical little pouches, with a surprise splash of colour hiding inside?
And just like that, the latest Salt Sand Sunshine collection started taking shape.
From pencil cases to upcycled makeup sailcloth pouches
The first designs were originally going to be pencil cases. Simple, flat zipped pouches with a little handle on the side. But the more I looked at them, the more I realised that limiting them to pencils was rather unfair. After all, why should pencils have all the fun?
They're just as useful for makeup, travel essentials, chargers, cables and all those mysterious little things that collect at the bottom of a handbag.
So the humble pencil case received a promotion.
Meet the sailcloth makeup and travel pouch!
White reclaimed sailcloth on the outside, colourful spinnaker sail on the inside, and a practical little zip to keep everything together.
And then they got a little bigger...
Of course, I couldn't leave it there.
Some of the remaining sailcloth pieces were just the right size for slightly roomier pouches.
A little more depth, a colourful lining, a side wrist strap and, where the sail allowed it, a number or some original stitching.
One has a pink No. 5. Another has purple details. Others let the original sail stitching do the talking. And that's something I particularly enjoy about working with reclaimed sails.
Sometimes I decide what to make. Sometimes the sail decides for me.
There are also the larger boxed washbags, with their colourful canvas bases, numbers and simple white fabric linings.
They're practical for holidays, weekends away, toiletries and all those things you'd rather not have rolling around loose in your suitcase.
Different shapes, different colours, different little details — but all made with the same idea in mind.
Make good use of the material I've already got.
Not everything needs to be a big bag
I love making my larger sailcloth totes, shoulder bags and Weekenders.
There's something rather satisfying about turning a substantial piece of old sail into a bag that's ready to head off on another adventure. But the smaller pieces deserve a chance too.
A little pouch might not be as impressive as a large Weekender, but it still takes planning, cutting, sewing and finishing. And it can be just as useful.
It's also a lovely way to give someone a small handmade gift with a story behind it.
Especially with Christmas creeping closer. 🎄
A second life, one little piece at a time
For me, upcycling isn't about pretending that absolutely nothing ever goes to waste.
It's about looking at what I have and finding ways to make the most of it.
Sometimes that means a large beach bag. Sometimes a practical washbag.
And sometimes it's a little zipped pouch that started life as a piece of sailcloth I couldn't quite bring myself to throw away.
There are still more pieces waiting in my workshop, of course. And I suspect some of them already know exactly what they want to become.
I just haven't caught up with them yet. 😂
With love from my Dorset workshop,
Silke ⛵
You can explore my latest handmade upcycled sailcloth makeup pouches, travel organisers and washbags in the Salt Sand Sunshine collection. Every piece has a previous life at sea — and a new adventure waiting.
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